How the Nuggets’ Offseason Saved Their Regular Season

Injuries have ravaged the Nuggets this season, with Nikola Jokic’s month-long absence being the most devastating. Yet the team has weathered it remarkably well — remaining competitive even as they’ve played extended stretches without defensive pillars Christian Braun and Aaron Gordon.

The contrast with last season is stark. That year, a comparatively healthy roster still crumbled under the weight of any significant absence, due to the replacements not being able to come close to filling in adequately. With the amount of lost games mounting down the stretch, Denver nearly dropped into the Play-in Tournament, forcing ownership to respond with the firing both coach Michael Malone and GM Calvin Booth.

How the Nuggets’ Offseason Saved Their Regular Season

To be fair, the two key members of the roster who stepped up the most in the midst of this season’s injury crisis—Spencer Jones and Peyton Watson—were already on last year’s roster. It would not be far-fetched to suggest that their emergence lends some credence to Booth’s belief that the team could have addressed their roster holes last season through internal development. But that argument overlooks one aspect that has been essential to this year’s success: the veteran additions. They have provided a vital safety net for the young players during their inevitable stretches of inconsistency, helping the team hold its place near the top of the Western Conference standings.

Bringing those veterans in a year earlier wouldn’t have stalled that development. As in most sports, the young inevitably will supplant the old. Players with genuine potential—like Watson and Jones have already shown—will force their way into the rotation if they prove themselves to be good enough.

How Veteran Additions Stabilized the Roster

The Nuggets’ most significant acquisition has been Cameron Johnson, who arrived via trade for Michael Porter Jr., which also gave them the salary cap flexibility to make additional moves during the offseason. To be clear, trading MPJ last summer was a gigantic surprise—and given the strong return they received, especially considering what they were able to do with the additional cap space—it’s fair to question whether they could have gotten as favorable a deal any earlier.

A quick glance at the box score might suggest the trade was a mistake, but as is so often the case, real basketball analysis has to go beyond just the counting stats. Johnson brings the defensive reliability and steadiness the Nuggets badly needed. Offensively, though, he has yet to replicate the shot-creation ability he showcased in Brooklyn, and he has not quite been the lethal shooting threat many have hoped for.

Injuries have also been an unfortunate theme in Johnson’s first season with the Nuggets, most notably preventing him from suiting up during Nikola Jokic’s absence—an opportunity that might have afforded him a larger offensive role and a chance to rebuild his confidence. Even so, he has been solid, and the trade was never solely about Cam Johnson. It also created the financial flexibility Denver needed to finally address its long-standing need for a dependable backup center behind Jokic.

That extra available cap space allowed the Nuggets to sign Jonas Valanciunas, who has been everything they hoped for. He has stabilized the non-Jokic minutes and emerged as a great pick-and-roll option, helping Jamal Murray flourish offensively. The only real disappointment was his untimely injury, suffered just one game after Jokic went down. Still, he has been one of the most impactful additions to this team.

The Vet Minimum Players Have Been Immense

Tim Hardaway Jr. has been the Nuggets’ best value acquisition of the offseason. An indispensable presence off the bench, his scoring became crucial in numerous games—especially during the Jokic-less stretch—often earning him a spot in the closing lineup. After losing MPJ, Denver desperately needed an irrational-confidence shooter, and Hardaway Jr. has been more than happy to fill that role. He stepped up repeatedly during several stretches when the offense was stagnating, delivering timely scoring and helping secure crucial wins.

It’s almost unfathomable that the Nuggets were able to land a player of that caliber on a veteran minimum deal. More than likely, Hardaway Jr.’s stint in Mile High City will springboard him into a far more lucrative contract elsewhere—much like what happened to Bruce Brown after the 2023 season. Speaking of which…

The return of the lost son was one of the most intriguing but risky acquisitions of the offseason. His stints after the 2023 title run were underwhelming, hampered by persistent injuries and a noticeable decline in offensive production, so an underwhelming reunion would not have been out of the question. Instead, he has looked almost as good as he did during his first stint with the Nuggets.

Brown’s defensive intelligence and productivity remain very much intact, making him a valuable asset on that end of the floor. The offensive limitations are still a problem, especially his three-point shooting, and his once trademark lethal floater is not as automatic anymore—but the overall impact he has brought to this team has been immense.

The Nuggets’ Depth is Good Enough to Win a Championship